The Effects of Divorce on Children - Family Research Council

addition <strong>of</strong> a working mother, divorce leads to an above-average number <strong>of</strong>
sexual partners for the children <strong>of</strong> divorce as adults. 123
Following a divorce, most mothers have to work full-time. This combination <strong>of</strong>
divorce and a full-time working mother leads to the highest level <strong>of</strong> teenage
sexual activity 124 and is significantly correlated with multiple sexual partners in
adult life. 125
Percent <strong>of</strong> Girls Who Have Ever Had
an Unwed Pregnancy
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
"Ever Had an Unwed Pregnancy" by Structure <strong>of</strong> Family <strong>of</strong> Origin
19%
Married
Always Intact
36%
Married
Stepfamily
26%
Intact
Cohabiting
Family
37% 36%
Cohabiting
Stepfamily
Structure <strong>of</strong> Family <strong>of</strong> Origin
Scott Talkington, Ph.D.
Source: National Longitudinal Survey <strong>of</strong> Youth (1997)
Single
<strong>Divorce</strong>d
Parent
54%
Always
Single
Parent
Pregnancy. Women whose parents separated during childhood are more likely
to have an out-<strong>of</strong>-wedlock teenage pregnancy, 126 and men with divorced or
separated parents are more likely to father a child with a teenage mother. 127 In
123 Robert J. Quinlan, “Father Absence, Parental Care, and Female Reproductive Development,”
Evolution and Human Behavior 24 (2003): 376–390.
124 John O. G. Billy (1994). As cited in David Larson, <strong>The</strong> Costly Consequences <strong>of</strong> <strong>Divorce</strong>
(Rockville, MD: National Institute for Healthcare Research, 1995), 131.
125 Seidman, Mosher, and Aral (1994). As cited in David Larson, <strong>The</strong> Costly Consequences <strong>of</strong>
<strong>Divorce</strong> (Rockville, MD: National Institute for Healthcare Research, 1995), 131.
126 Robert J. Quinlan, “Father Absence, Parental Care, and Female Reproductive Development,”
Evolution and Human Behavior 24 (2003): 376–390.
Kathleen E. Kiernan and John Hobcraft, “Parental <strong>Divorce</strong> during Childhood: Age at First
Intercourse, Partnership and Parenthood,” Population Studies 51 (1997): 41-55.
Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. and Julien O. Teitler, “Reconsidering the <strong>Effects</strong> <strong>of</strong> Marital
Disruption: What Happens to Children <strong>of</strong> <strong>Divorce</strong> in Early Adulthood?” Journal <strong>of</strong> Family
Issues 15 (1994): 173-190.
Sara McLanahan and Larry Bumpass, “Intergenerational Consequences <strong>of</strong> Family Disruption,”
American Journal <strong>of</strong> Sociology 94 (1988): 130-152.
127 Robert F. Anda, Daniel P. Chapman, Vincent J. Felitti, Valerie Edwards, David F.
Williamson, Janet B. Cr<strong>of</strong>t, and Wayne H. Giles, “Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risk <strong>of</strong>
Paternity in Teen Pregnancy,” Obstetrics and Gynecology 100 (2002): 37-45.
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